Volunteer Games
by brigrove
Summary: Never again would the government of Panem force kids to be slaughtered.  But when a private TV company decides to run the games, why would so many kids volunteer to be killed?  Fourth story in the Vengeance Games series
1. Chapter 1

"**Volunteer Games" **

**Chapter One**

**By Brian Grove **

**Brian at rescueddoggies dot com**

**Disclaimer – As I'm British and male, it may come as no surprise that I don't own Hunger Games.**

**While this does follow on from Vengeance Games, Games Return and Genocide Games, you do not need to have read those stories to understand it.**

**An experienced beta would be welcome.**

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

When Mom became President again, one of the first things she did was to see that the powers of the government were much reduced. This was Peeta's suggestion originally, but had the active support of Katniss. Never again would a President be able to interfere in family life. The decision of what would happen in a child's life would return to his or her parents, where it properly belonged.

The district could only intervene if the child made a complaint of abuse. In the case of a child incapable of making a complaint due to age or some other reason, if a complaint was received from someone else, the district had the right to send a doctor to examine the child to see if there was abuse. But even these limited powers were given to the Districts, or the Capitol's own local government, not to the President or Panem's national government.

When Mom signed that statute into law, ensuring that no President could ever again take children from their families to be murdered, she had no way of knowing that she had just paved the way for the games to return.

After the Genocide Games were over, the land for the arenas was bought up by Porton de Leones Corporation, the entertainment group who owned the television station which had had the rights to film and transmit the games. They destroyed most of them, but used the various things they had cannibalized from the other arenas to make Beetee's final arena even more impressive. The demand to take part in the games they ran was staggering. No shortage of paying volunteers now they knew that they wouldn't actually die or be injured. They even televised some of them.

But the television audience wanted blood, real games, with real deaths. There were whole industries who had depended on the games, for making mutts, the television company itself, as it had been it's biggest show by far, the betting industry, and the illegal training centers in the career districts. That's not even counting the spin-offs, the fashion industry, the tacky souvenirs. Here in the Capitol it was still possible to buy models of Rue, complete with net and spear. Push the spear into the model in the right place and fake blood would come out. Extra sachets of fake blood cost extra. Bring the model's hand to her lips and it made a four note whistle.

Amazing to me was the number of career families in Districts One, Two and Four, who openly campaigned for the "real" games to be run again. They said their children had been trained for the games and felt cheated of their chance to shine. Why would these families want to sacrifice their children? I couldn't understand it.

Nevertheless, seven years after the Genocide games, the first "real" Hunger Games were run. With her reduced Presidential powers, Mom had no way to stop them. Although they were children, children had a right to volunteer from the age of twelve.

Mom, Dorada, Pippa and I had campaigned against them, but the appetite for blood and blood-bought riches was too much. There were only seven tributes, two each from One and Two, one from Four, and, surprisingly, one each from Seven and Ten, a total of three girls and four boys. All were aged sixteen or over. All they'd had to do to volunteer was go to the office set up by Porton de Leones in each District ten days before the games. Providing nobody of the same sex had beaten them to it, they were in and rushed straight off to the training center.

The first game was short and it was bloody. In the bloodbath the girl from Seven literally put out the eyes of the boy from Ten, but was then attacked by the girl from Two. While they were fighting, the now-blind boy from Ten ran away. He didn't get far from the arena, but crouched down under a bush to hide or to die.

The others fought it out. Four died in the bloodbath, leaving the partners from District One, both of whom used knives as their preferred weapon. The following day, having not found the boy from Ten, they fought. The boy stabbed the girl to death, but she left him bleeding badly. So badly that he died a few hours later.

Having a blind victor definitely put a damper on the post-game interview and didn't do much for the "Victory Tour" either. But he'd achieved what he'd gone into the game for, in a bitter irony, it was to get enough money for an operation to save his mother's sight.

The second game had even fewer tributes, only five. Like the first, they were short and bloody and, judging by the reaction of the television audiences, boring. Dad, Mom and I were pleased that it looked like the games were going to fizzle out of their own accord.

Then Porton de Leones announced a change. From now a stipend would be paid to the families of the losing tributes, each year, for ten years, easily enough for them to live on.

"It's like the Teserae all over again," Mom said furiously. "The poorest and most desperate will volunteer for the sake of their families."

Once again, Mom and Peeta, Pippa, Chiapaska and Salique, Una and her family, Dorada and her family, and I all campaigned against the games. But our campaign was soon to be discredited.

Mom had been right, apart from the usual tributes from the career districts, most of the other sixteen tributes were obviously from poorer parts of their respective districts.

Except for one. In that third year, the Capitol had a eighteen year-old girl as a volunteer. She was from the richer part of the Capitol. She was Dorada's younger sister, Stefani.

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Author's notes...

** I know this is short, but please review to let me know if you think this is worth continuing.**

** Why has Stefani volunteered? Can she survive?**

**Brian**

**THE STORY SO FAR**

**Chapter 1**

** The volunteer games begin, but aren't popular with viewers. Changes are made, then Stefani, Dorada's sister, unexpectedly volunteers.**


	2. Chapter 2

"**Volunteer Games" **

**Chapter Two**

**By Brian Grove **

**Brian at rescueddoggies dot com**

**Disclaimer – As I'm British and male, it may come as no surprise that I don't own Hunger Games.**

**An experienced beta would be welcome.**

**Previous Chapter:- The volunteer games begin, but aren't popular with viewers. Changes are made, then Stefani, Dorada's sister, unexpectedly volunteers.**

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

"But why would Steffi volunteer?" cried Gail.

Gail was nine years old, part of the baby boom which followed the Genocide Games and the signing into law of the Restriction Treaty. The Restriction Treaty, the Act ratified by the Capitol and all the districts, devolving many powers to the districts, whose mayors and governing bodies were from then on to be elected, putting the Peacekeepers under control of the districts and removing forever the threat of a crazy President having the power to take away children.

For the first time, people felt safe to have a family, without fear that they would lose them. Panem had never seen a baby boom like it. Even Peeta and Katniss had succumbed, although Peeta had always wanted children, Katniss had always been afraid. The result was Gail, my baby sister.

It was dad who wanted the name Gail, to honor his rival, Gale Hawthorn, because he had died saving my life when we were rescued from the arena at the end of my second games.

Stefani was enchanted by Gail from the moment she knew about her. Poor Katniss suffered endlessly as Stefani asked to put her head on Katniss' tummy to hear the baby. When Gail was born, Stefani was the first visitor, beating me by a nose and getting us both told off firmly for running in the hospital.

As soon as she was considered old enough, Stefani babysat Gail at every opportunity. It was a strange irony that the best friend of the youngest daughter of a game sponsor was the daughter of a two game victims, sorry, victors.

Gail knew Stefani better than anyone. "She'd never volunteer," she insisted.

But she had.

Being the first volunteer from the Capitol, they made a lot of fun at her expense in the chariot parade. She was dressed like a parody of Capitol fashion. A toga-style dress fell from one shoulder, leaving one breast exposed. It finished halfway down her thighs. Her legs were painted one color, her arms another, her face was left alone except for huge ugly earrings dangling from her ear-lobes. Her hair was in spikes, each spike a different color. We couldn't believe that Steff would volunteer for all this.

Katniss wondered if Stefani could have been training in secret, though that still wouldn't explain why.

When the training scores were announced and Stefani had a three, when the lowest score from any of the others was a five, it was obvious that she hadn't been training.

"So, Stefani, our first volunteer from the Capitol. Some have been saying that they don't believe that you volunteered. To put people's minds at rest, can you confirm that you did actually volunteer of your own free will."

"Yes, I volunteered." Her voice sounded as if she wasn't interested at all.

"Of course we know that your big sister was a tribute in the Genocide Games..."

"So was my brother," she interrupted.

"Ah, yes, your brother, Apax."

"Apraxo."

"Right. Supposedly died in the bloodbath, right? Of course, nobody knew it was all fake. But no fakery with the PortonDeLeones Hunger Games. You must be hoping to make it longer than he did, but your training score? Are Capitol kids these days just not up to the standard of the District kids? What happened?"

For the first time, Stefani showed a bit of fire as she replied, "Maybe I'll surprise you."

"I look forward to it."

Stefani's family and Una's family had joined us in the Presidential mansion, so we could give support to Stefani's family through this whole ordeal. Dorada was as pale as I'd ever seen her and when she was sitting with her arm around her mother, she sat beside me, her head on my shoulder.

Stefani couldn't have volunteered. We all knew that. But she had.

Mom got up and walked out without saying where she was going. She didn't return that night.

Very early the next morning, the was a ring on the front door of the mansion. The Presidential guards had escorted a very embarrassed Peacekeeper.

"P... Peeta M... Mellark?" he asked, nervously, knowing full well who dad was.

"Yes," dad confirmed.

"I have to inform you that your wife has been arrested..."

"WHAT?"

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

It was a televised circus. Even the start of the games were delayed by a day so as to not miss a moment.

Katniss was standing in a dock, facing her were a long row of fourteen judges, the Constitutional Court.

Set up under the same laws as the Restriction Treaty, the Constitutional Court was made up of one senior judge from the Capitol and one from each District. The chair of the court could come from any District or from the Capitol, but would always be a judge from a different District to the person being tried or anyone else involved in the case.

Most of their cases dealt with disputes between districts, but they also had direct responsibility for cases of corruption by the highest officials in each District or in the Capitol.

It was a judge from District Eight who said, "Katniss Mellark, you are charged with abuse of office, in that you ordered the Presidential guard to attempt to falsely arrest the owners of PortonDeLeones, knowing that it was not within your legal powers to do so. How do you plead?"

"Guilty, and I'd do it again. We didn't hold a rebellion to stop the games only to have these murders start all over again."

"I think we are all perfectly aware of your beliefs about the games, Mrs. Mellark, but being President does not give you the right to overthrow the law, a law, I might add, which you personally signed into law."

"It was designed to prevent a future President from bringing back the games, not to allow them to happen," Katniss responded angrily. "I know Stefani. She would never have volunteered."

"But she did, didn't she? We all saw her admitting that on television last night. And you just couldn't accept that. Strange isn't it, that you never tried to stop the games before this, before it was a personal friend involved.?"

"I've tried to stop them since they were announced," she argued.

"But not like this, using force. Using force for your own personal benefit, to save the child of friend, even though it is obvious that the child didn't want to be saved."

Katniss couldn't respond.

"The Constitutional Court will recess to reach a decision."

The Constitutional Court took less than half an hour to reach its verdict. Without exception, they all looked unhappy.

"Will the accused please stand."

Katniss stood up.

"Katniss Mellark. The case against you was clear, obviously, since you pleaded guilty. This has been the hardest case any of us have had to deal with as judges, both in this court and in our own Districts before we became part of this court. We all respect you personally for what you have achieved for Panem, but it is our sworn duty to uphold the law, to show that nobody, no matter how exalted, is above the law of the land."

He took a drink from the glass of water in front of him.

"It is with the greatest reluctance that we declare that you are removed from the office of President from this moment on. Due to your lack of remorse, you are also banned from holding any public office in the future and will serve six months in prison. I might add that it would normally have been a much longer term, but for the debt we all feel that this country owes you for your actions in the past. Do you understand the sentence?"

Katniss looked at him and said clearly, "Yes."

"Have you any questions?"

"No."

"Take the prisoner down."

Katniss was led away.

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Peeta, Gail and I were allowed to visit her before she was sent to the prison, in the secure bunker in District Thirteen.

"I'm sorry, Peeta."

"You couldn't stand by and do nothing," he said. "I know."

"It's only six months. It won't be long," she assured us.

"Mom," I said, "it's supposed to be us reassuring you by saying things like that."

Mom began giving us a list of instructions, what we could take with us when we left the presidential mansion and what we couldn't, Gail must behave for dad and try not to annoy me too much. But it was when she told dad to make sure that I got enough sleep and didn't stay up too late, I'd had enough.

"Mom!" I cried. "I'm twenty-seven years old. I'm not a baby any more."

"All three of you will always be my babies," she replied.

The television that night showed footage of the disgraced now ex-President, being led onto the train which would take her to the prison in District Thirteen.

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

The next day, the game began and Stefani proved once again that she hadn't been training by almost being killed in the bloodbath. She escaped with no weapons, no food and no water.

On the third day, she found water, more by chance than anything, a cool stream flowing down from a mountain. Desperate for food, she'd begun eating the leaves of the plants around the stream, but they'd obviously just given her an upset stomach and apparently made her delirious.

"You need to hide!" Gail shouted at the screen. Stefani had gone to sleep beside the stream.

Sadly Stefani couldn't hear Gail's good advice. A group of careers were searching the stream for tributes and found her. "Hello, Capitol girl," one of them said.

Gail was furious with me for taking her back to bed and not allowing her to watch as they tortured Stefani. Call me a coward, but I couldn't watch either.

It was just beginning to get light when dad came into Gail's room, where we were both lying on the bed, and said, "It's over. She's dead."

Stefani's family, including Chiapaska and Salique, were distraught, as you might expect. When Salique said nothing all day, we began to worry about her, but as she focused on trying to comfort her "almost-mother", her speech returned. Two days later they all went with Una to District Eleven.

Gail was almost as bad. Stefani was almost like another big sister to her. Peeta, Gail and I were alone in the mansion now, rattling around in the empty place that no longer felt like home.

I don't even remember who won the games. It wasn't one of those who'd tortured Stefani, at least that was something.

Gail spent most of the time looking at old Hunger Games footage, not the games themselves, which dad wouldn't let her watch, but the reapings, the chariots, and the interviews.

When I asked her what she was doing, she said, "I don't know. Something struck me when we were watching Stefani. Something wasn't right and I can't put my finger on it."

I watched them all with her. We must have watched the "before" and "after" segments for every hunger games for the previous twenty years about a dozen times.

Like Gail, something didn't "feel" right, but what?

Finally dad asked us to stop. "We're moving to Eleven in two days. I don't want you upsetting Steff's family with this. It's not going to bring her back."

By the time Mom was released from prison, we were living in District Eleven. It felt more like home than the Capitol.

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Two more Hunger games came and went, another two groups of children volunteering to die.

I wasn't convinced and nor was Gail, who once again watched the interviews over and over again, still sure, that somewhere in all that footage was the clue she needed.

If determination was all that was needed to stop the games, Gail would succeed. She made a nuisance of herself in every government office, but to no avail. The games were legal, and while the tributes all admitted to being volunteers, there was no political will to change that.

The fact that quite a few of the families were convinced that their child would never have volunteered, indeed some had openly spoken out against the games, was not enough to change people's minds.

Then Gail disappeared. When dad reported her disappearance, he was told that she was on record as having volunteered for the Hunger Games.

It is the only time I have ever seen dad lose his cool. The only reason he didn't end up in prison was that the officials he hit refused to press charges.

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Author's notes...

** Please review.**

**Brian**

**THE STORY SO FAR**

**Chapter 1**

** The volunteer games begin, but aren't popular with viewers. Changes are made, then Stefani, Dorada's sister, unexpectedly volunteers.**

**Chapter 2 **

** Katniss sent to prison and stripped of the Presidency for trying to take action against the games. Stefani is killed. Gail spends her time trying to find proof that something isn't right about the games. Then she disappears, another volunteer for the games.**


	3. Chapter 3

"**Volunteer Games" **

**Chapter Three**

**By Brian Grove **

**Brian at rescueddoggies dot com**

**Disclaimer – As I'm British and male, it may come as no surprise that I don't own Hunger Games.**

**An experienced beta would be welcome.**

**Previous Chapter:- Katniss sent to prison and stripped of the Presidency for trying to take action against the games. Stefani is killed. Gail spends her time trying to find proof that something isn't right about the games. Then she disappears, another volunteer for the games.**

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Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

News got around District Eleven about Gail volunteering for the Hunger Games faster than a Mockingjay could have broadcast it.

Within an hour of dad arriving home having been released from Peacemaker custody, Kalina Morrison, Apraxo, Dorada and Stefani's mom, was knocking on our door. Salique was with her, as usual. Both Chiapaska and Salique loved Kalina, but since the treatment to restore her speech, Salique had been extremely attached to her. Since Stefani had died in the games, Salique had barely left Kalina's side.

When I opened the door Salique gave me a hug, while Kalina went straight to find mom. "Katniss, is it true? That Gail volunteered for the games?"

"It's true she's in the games," mom answered bitterly. "But you know Gail. She'd never have volunteered, whatever they make her say."

"This is revenge, isn't it?" Kalina asked rhetorically. "We publicly opposed the games, now they've taken our only two children within the age range."

They went into the lounge, where dad was watching Stefani's interview. From the moment he arrived home, he had started watching the recordings which Gail had been so interested in.

Dad turned off the recording quickly. "Sorry," he said.

"That was Stefani," said Kalina, stating the obvious. "Why would you be watching that?"

Dad looked embarrassed, as though he'd been caught doing something wrong.

"After Stefani died, Gail was convinced that there was something in the interview footage that didn't feel right. She couldn't explain it, but she watched all the reapings and chariots and interviews for the last twenty-odd years. She was convinced that there was a clue in there somehow."

"A clue? To what?"

"I don't know. I don't think she did. Finally when we moved to Eleven, dad made her stop watching them all the time. He didn't want to risk upsetting you by reminding you. But each time the games were run again, she started watching those recordings again."

"Peeta, I live with reminders of Stefani every day. Every night I dream about her. At least every hour I think about her. I can't look at Apraxo or Dorada or Chiapaska or Salique without being reminded of the one who should be here but isn't."

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want to make it any harder on you."

"What was she looking for in the recordings?"

"I don't think she knew herself. She kept comparing the older recordings with the latest ones, but she never got any further than saying that it didn't 'feel' right."

"I wish you'd have got her to ask me," Kalina said.

"Why?"

"I was a sponsor for years. I used to watch those reapings, the chariots, the interviews, to catch any nuance that might tell me who stood a chance of winning. You say she was comparing the recordings for the last twenty years or so?"

"Yes."

"Then, if you don't mind, let go back and do the same."

It took us two days to watch everything up to the interviews for Stefani's games. Kalina's eyes were bright, not with tears, but something had struck her. "That doesn't make sense," she muttered.

"What doesn't?"

"Let me see the last two games first. I want to see if it's a fluke."

When we'd finally finished the recordings, she announced, "He didn't ask the right questions."

"What do you mean?" Katniss asked.

"When considering sponsoring a volunteer, except for the usual career volunteers, I needed to know what made them tick. Why did they volunteer? The answer to that usually told me more about them than anything else in the interview. You look back at all the past games, that's the key question they ask every volunteer. Even in the first few of the new games, he asked them. But in Stefani's games, he only asked that question to a few of them. And it's been the same since. Why wouldn't he ask why they volunteered?"

"To stop it seeming boring by asking them all the same question, as they are all volunteers?" Salique suggested.

"No, it's too important to the sponsors. They have to ask that, but he didn't. Why wouldn't he ask?"

It was mom who answered. "You don't ask a question if you don't want the answer. If the volunteering was as straightforward as they claimed, there'd be no reason not to ask. So if they didn't, it means something isn't right with the volunteering. Can you explain what you just told me to a judge?"

"Of course."

Mom went to her desk and called someone. "Who? Damn. It would be him. Okay, put me through, and tell him we'll switch to video."

"Madam President," the judge from District Eight answered. Although she was no longer president, the title stays with her for life. "How may I help you?"

"Your honor..."

"Before you begin, I've heard about your daughter. I find I hard to believe as well. Gail has made herself quite the nuisance in her efforts to get the games banned."

"Then can you stop them? For the last three years, Gail has been investigating, and we think we've found what she was looking for."

"Really? And what was that?"

"Proof that the volunteering isn't genuine. Can I pass you to Kalina Morrison? She used to be a sponsor. She can explain."

"Morrison? Stefani's mother?"

"Yes," Kalina said. "I was."

"I am truly sorry about your daughter. I can understand why you might want to prove that she didn't volunteer when she said that she did, but how can that help us?"

"As I've just explained to Katniss, sponsors always wanted to know about volunteers. Apart from the usual careers, volunteers were so rare they were a curiosity. The first thing we wanted to know what was made them volunteer."

"Understandably."

"That told us so much about their character and if they might be worth sponsoring. So in every games, in the interview, that's almost the first thing they'd be asked. Every time, without fail. Until Stefani's games. Then only a few of them were asked. The same has happened with the games since. They have to ask that question for the sponsors, but they aren't."

"And you think they aren't asking why because they don't want to risk the answer?"

"Yes."

"That the volunteering might not be all above board?"

"Exactly."

"I'll have to watch the tapes to see for myself, but if what you say is correct, what do you expect me to do about it?"

"Stop them At least investigate. Get someone to speak to the volunteers to find out the truth."

"Mrs. Morrison. For myself, I'm inclined to believe you, especially after young Miss Mellark is supposed to have volunteered. But my believing it isn't evidence. I can speculate just as you can. But I can't take action on what is nothing more than a feeling."

"So you're not going to do anything?" Katniss shouted angrily.

"Right now, I'm going to get the recordings so that I can study them. But I need more than speculation to issue a warrant."

"So you're going to let my daughter die, just as you let Stefani and all the others die."

"That's unfair, Madam President!"

"So is murdering children. Perhaps it's time I got my bow out again."

"I'll pretend I never heard that. Look, I'll watch every moment of these games. If I spot anything that I can use, believe me I will act. But I can't promise more than that. Goodbye, Madam President."

He cut the call. Our hopes were dashed. We thought we'd beaten them, but it wasn't enough. What could possibly happen over the next few days which could change that and give the judge grounds to act?

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Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

It really seemed as though all the decent designers were gone. All the outfits for the chariots were tired and predictable. Gail's was almost exactly the same as Stefani's had been three years before, including the partial nudity.

But whereas Stefani would have been embarrassed by that, we knew that it wouldn't bother Gail in the slightest. Mom always said that Gail should have been Prim's daughter, she was so like her I many ways. As a toddler it was almost impossible to keep clothes on her, she loved to run around naked. I never knew Prim, but I'm told that Gail also had Prim's eye for detail, which was obvious from her investigations and campaigns against the games. It was also evident in the pictures she loved to draw. In her artistic skills, she'd taken after dad. She'd even painted a nude self portrait and couldn't understand why mom refused to hang it in the lounge.

But it was the interviews we were waiting for. Kalina was next to Katniss as they began.

Exactly as she predicted, the more obvious volunteers from the career districts were asked why they volunteered, and they gave the predictable answers, money, fame, prestige. None of the others were asked why they volunteered, including Gail.

In fact, apart from getting Gail to confirm that she had volunteered, Gail's interview was more of a chat about how she related to mom and dad. "So who do you think you take after? Peeta or Katniss?"

"Well, I think Dad, though Mom says I'm a lot like her sister Prim in many ways. Dad loves nothing more than spending a relaxing afternoon painting. He taught me to paint too."

"I've heard you've spent a lot of your training time painting instead of training. That might explain why you only achieved a score of four."

"If I'm going to die, I might as well enjoy my last days before the games. I even painted a picture of you, but it got spoiled. Would you like to see my pictures?"

"Why not?" he said kindly.

She picked up a folder and showed each picture for a few seconds. "I showed them all quickly as we don't have much time. They can pause the replay to see them properly," she explained,

"I have to say, you are quite good."

"Thank you," she replied as she put her paintings away. "I love painting, I can put everything I want to say in a picture."

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Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

The next morning the games were to begin. But our day began much earlier with the loud roar of a hovercraft. It landed not far from our house and to our surprise, the judge from District Eight got out.

"Your honor?" I said as I opened the door.

"Are your parents up?"

"We are now," said Katniss, who just came downstairs in her dressing gown. "What's going on?"

"I'm going to the arena," he announced. I've come here as I need a second judge to authorize my action. I want you to come with me. And anyone else here who can fight."

"Great," said Katniss.

"If you come, I need you to stay with me. I'm not taking you so that you can rescue your daughter."

"Then why?"

"I'm taking you to protect me," he replied.

"You?"

"Think about it. They've tried to eliminate everybody who's stood against them. Right now, I'm the only one who can stop their game. If they get me, they've won. And they're so rich and powerful that I don't know who I can trust. So I need your word. Let me save Gail. Your job is to keep me alive so that I can."

"Okay."

"Ah here comes my pilot. He should have the signature of the District Eleven judge. Have you got it?" he called.

"Yes. Ready to go?"

"Give me a few minutes to change," Katniss said.

While we were changing a crowd had begun to form, attracted by the unfamiliar noise of the hovercraft.

"You can't all come," the judge said, "just those who can fight."

When we took off, we had four victors, that is Mom, Dad, Dorada and me, and we also took Chiapaska, who we knew was more than handy with a knife. All of us had knives, except for Dorada. We would get her a peacekeeper's rifle as it worked almost exactly the same as the weapon she'd used in her games.

"What convinced you?" Mom asked.

"I was already convinced, I just needed something more concrete to allow me to act."

"But we watched the interviews. There was nothing much different," I said.

"What did Gail say?" he asked me.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"She said, 'I can put everything I want to say in a picture.' That's an exact quote. See these pictures? These are printouts of the pictures she showed to the camera."

"But there's no message there," I said.

"No? There's the same message in every one of them."

"I can't see it."

"Describe this picture."

"It looks like it's in a field, there's a river, and a few people playing ball."

"Good. Now describe the people."

"There's three women and a man."

"You'd never make a good witness," he smiled. "Describe them."

"There's not that much detail about them, the three women are a similar height, the man a bit taller."

"More."

"They all have dark hair, one of the women is rather fat, the others are thin. The three women are white, but the man is colored."

"Okay. Years ago, long before I became a judge, I was a Peacekeeper. If I had to describe those four people in the words we'd have used, I'd say, three white females, one black male. There is one black male in every single picture."

"Blackmail!" I said. "But how?"

"That is what we are going to the arena to find out."

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Author's notes...

** Please review.**

**Brian**

**THE STORY SO FAR**

**Chapter 1**

** The volunteer games begin, but aren't popular with viewers. Changes are made, then Stefani, Dorada's sister, unexpectedly volunteers.**

**Chapter 2 **

** Katniss sent to prison and stripped of the Presidency for trying to take action against the games. Stefani is killed. Gail spends her time trying to find proof that something isn't right about the games. Then she disappears, another volunteer for the games.**

**Chapter 3 **

** Stefani's mother provides the clue they need, but it is the judge who deciphers the message Gail puts in her paintings.**


	4. Chapter 4

"**Volunteer Games" **

**Chapter Four**

**By Brian Grove **

**Brian at rescueddoggies dot com**

**Disclaimer – As I'm British and male, it may come as no surprise that I don't own Hunger Games.**

**An experienced beta would be welcome.**

**Previous Chapter:- Stefani's mother provides the clue they need, but it is the judge who deciphers the message Gail puts in her paintings.**

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

The hovercraft was quite crowded as the judge had arranged for a small team of doctors to join us. While they were boarding, Mom ran back into the house for a minute. "Have to make a phone call," she yelled. She was back in less than a minute.

No matter how much I wished the hovercraft to go faster, it was a little after ten o'clock when the arena came into view. The games started at ten. I wondered how many would already be dead. And what of Gail?

A speaker blared out from the hovercraft. "By judicial order, these games are suspended. You are to lay down your weapons at once. Anyone who kills another tribute from this moment on will be tried for murder. Anyone who injures another tribute from this moment on will be charged with that crime. All tributes are to make their way to the cornucopia immediately." The message repeated over and over again.

As the hovercraft descended we saw the bloody remains of the bloodbath and a few tributes beginning to come nervously out of the woods.

Without even looking at the judge for permission, the medical team went into action. Many of the tributes had injuries of one kind or another.

But we couldn't see Gail anywhere. Mom and Dad weren't leaving the judge's side, but I could see the increasingly desperate look on their faces. I ran around the cornucopia, checking each of the bodies. None was Gail. Had she gone into the forest injured and died there? Or was she lying out there somewhere, hurt or even dying?

The judge was quietly speaking to the nearest tributes, the ones who were uninjured. He turned back to us and shook his head. "None of them will say anything," he said. "We really need to find your daughter, Madam President."

"I'll find her," Mom said. "I'll be able to track her."

"I'll go with you," I said.

"You'll stay here and guard the judge, like we promised."

"Guard him from what?"

"Anyway, if I wanted someone with me in the forest when I'm tracking, I'd take Peeta," she said with almost a grin.

"Dad?" I said at the same time as he said "Me?"

"Yeah. He makes so much noise he'd scare off any animals out there."

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, it made me laugh a little.

Mom took her bow and asked the other tributes if any of them had seen which way she'd gone. A huge monster of a boy said he could show her part of the way. He was well-armed with knives and it didn't take much to work out that he'd been one of the careers.

Mom nodded brusquely and they disappeared into the forest.

"I'm going with her," I said.

The judge simply said, "Go!"

The boy was making enough noise that they would have been easy to follow even if they hadn't stuck to the paths.

Then it went quiet, not silent, but quiet. They'd stopped moving. As quietly as I could I crept around the next bend in the path. The boy had his arm around Mom's neck and was about to slit her throat.

I gasped and he looked up. Before I could react, the knife was already flying at me. I was lucky. It only hit me in the arm. That distraction was all Mom needed. She'd escaped from his grip.

I ran at the boy, my own knife at the ready. Welcome to the Hunger Games, I thought.

He was trapped between us now. Mom was a few yards away, her bow already primed.

He looked like he didn't know which one of us to attack first. His moment of indecision didn't last long. He ran at Mom, but an arrow hit him in the shoulder. Mom looked annoyed at her poor shot, but already had another arrow ready.

I'd reached them by that time and put my knife at his back. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't gut you right now," I snarled.

"Drop your knives, all of them, then turn around, slowly," Mom said. "Do anything apart from what I say and this arrow won't hit only your shoulder."

He dropped his weapon, emptied two others from his pockets and turned around.

"Now walk," Mom said. "Don't try to run. If she doesn't kill you, I will."

I kept my knife at his back as we walked back to the cornucopia. The moment we walked onto the plain, a doctor came running, and...

"Gail!" Mom cried.

"Don't bother with him," I snapped at the doctor. "He doesn't deserve it."

Gail looked at me, disappointed.

"He tried to kill Mom," I said, wondering why I felt I had to defend myself.

"I knew you'd come," Gail said to mom. "Pity it took you so long to convince the judge about my message."

"It was the judge who worked out your message," Mom admitted.

The boy's shoulder was bleeding quite badly.

"Mom, we need to get his family safe," Gail said.

"But he's a career," Mom replied with a tone of disgust.

"Mom. Now. His family and all the others. Especially the careers."

To Mom's credit she didn't waste time asking for explanations. "Beetee. You listening in?"

"What else would I be watching?" Beetee sounded almost amused.

"Are we live to all of Panem?"

"Yes. I made it so they can't cut the feed."

Mom spoke quietly to the judge. He nodded.

"This is Katniss Everdeen. I have the chair of the Constitutional Court with me who has an emergency order for peacekeepers in all the Districts and the Capitol. Judge?"

"Peacekeepers. You are ordered to take all the families of all the tributes into custody at once. Do not allow anyone to see them until I give the order. They are in grave danger and this is protective custody. If any harm comes to them, you will answer to me. Inform President Beetee in the games control room when the families are safe."

Like Mom, Beetee was an ex-President, so the judge used his title.

The boy cried out, "Not the head Peacekeeper in Two. He's with them. And get Lata and her family safe too. And keep my sisters safe from my parents."

"The Deputy? Is he okay?" the judge asked him.

"He's okay, I think."

"Deputy Head Peacekeeper in District Two. You heard the boy. Take personal control of this operation in your district and take your Head Peacekeeper into custody on my authority. Do not allow him to have contact with any of those in protective custody."

He looked at the boy as if to say, 'Okay?', then he spoke again. "Capitol Peacekeepers. Nobody is to leave the games control building. Seal all the rooms. Only President Beetee and his team are to be permitted in the control room. Take everyone else to the staff dining hall. Keep the senior games officials separate from one another and do not allow them to communicate. I will be joining you as soon as we can get there."

"Now?" I asked.

"Now I need to speak to your sister," he said.

"Yes, your honor?"

"Why don't you tell me what this is all about?" He spoke kindly, almost like a grandfather. "And remember, all of Panem is watching in."

"Before she answers your questions, I have one of my own," Mom interrupted. "Where were you? Why didn't you come with the others when we told everyone to come here? Do you know how worried we were?"

"I was too far away. I knew you'd come, somehow, but I didn't know how long you'd be. So I ran and kept on running. Then when I heard the announcement, I wondered if it was a Gamemaker trick, so I came back, but carefully."

The judge looked impatient. "Now we've resolved your little domestic matter, perhaps we can get onto the reason we are here?"

"I don't know where to start," Gail said.

"Why don't you start with yourself. Tell us why you volunteered."

"They were going to kill Dorada and Jerard, and Chiapaska and Salique."

"What? Why them?" I asked.

"They said my family was too well protected, but they could kill them easily. They showed me photos, one was Dorada in the bath. They said they could get them wherever they tried to hide. And..." she shivered at the memory and when she continued her voice had dropped in tone. "And they'd make it slow. They were going to torture them."

Mom said something under her breath and it was probably just as well that it was too low for the microphones to pick up as I don't think it was very Presidential.

"I couldn't let that happen, Mom," she said, in a tone that almost begged for her approval. "Not after Stefani." She turned to the judge and said, in a colder voice, "That's how they got Stefani too. And most of the others. In some of the poorer Districts, they picked kids with large families and younger brothers or sisters who were still starving, threatened to have their fathers sacked from their jobs, but promised them plenty of food for life if they'd volunteer."

"That doesn't explain the careers," Mom interrupted, ignoring the look of annoyance from the judge. "Their Districts wanted the games to return. You can't tell me they had to be forced."

"It's more complicated than that. It always has been. Cranto can explain better."

We all turned to the boy, but the judge had turned to the doctor working on him.

"Is he okay to speak?"

"Yes. He'll be fine," the doctor replied, then grinned. "I'd have expected a worse wound from a Mockingjay arrow."

"Hey! I'm out of practice," Mom cried, pretending to be offended.

"Cranto, is it?" the judge asked.

"I'm not saying anything," said Cranto. "Not until I see my sisters and Lata."

"Lata?" Mom asked.

"His girlfriend," Gail answered.

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

The interviews with the judge took all day, then each tribute was flown to be reunited with their families. Except for the careers. Like Cranto, they refused to speak until after they'd seen their families safe and sound.

We returned to District Eleven where floods of tears and hugs greeted Gail.

Sadly, for the families of the eight tributes killed in the bloodbath, there was no happy reunion.

Several weeks later the judge came to see us with the results of the investigation. He looked about ten years older in just a few weeks.

"We've arrested officials from just about every district," he explained to Mom. "They manipulated the food program you set up to make sure that some families were kept starving. Always large families, with lots of young children. Then they'd offer the eldest child a way to make sure their younger siblings survived..."

"By volunteering," I said.

"Yes, and if they didn't volunteer, they and their entire family would just disappear. It only took one example of a family who disappeared in each district to ensure that the others would comply. They volunteered because they knew they'd die anyway and at least by volunteering, they had a chance to live and their family would be 'safe'."

"One family disappeared in each district?" I asked. "Why didn't anyone do anything?"

"There's still no real coordination between districts. As far as each district was concerned, it was an isolated case. They always picked a family with an unstable parent to disappear, so everyone just assumed they'd done something, taken them away from the district or something. Nobody who'd be really missed."

"I thought we'd done enough to stop people starving," said Mom.

"There was enough food for everyone," the judge pointed out. "Just that those in charge made sure it didn't get to everyone who needed it."

Mom looked upset, so I hoped to change the subject. "What about the richer districts?" I asked.

"District Three, was similar to the other districts, minus the whole starvation bit. They volunteered or they and their families would simply disappear."

"But the career districts? They've been volunteering almost since the games started."

"As Gail said, that was complicated. And it goes back almost to when the games began. The President at the time was a sadist. I suppose you'd have to be to introduce the games in the first place. After the first games, he wanted more action, more blood to keep people interested. They recruited couples to foster or adopt babies and bring them up as careers. If there weren't enough babies to be adopted, the simply arranged an accident for mothers-to-be who were close to delivery. The babies would be removed and shipped off to another career district, to avoid any risk that they might resemble their parents too much and be recognized."

"That's awful," Mom said.

"The couples were well paid and they were guaranteed that any of their own children would never be reaped. I'm sad to say that there was no shortage of people willing to raise tributes for the money and to guarantee the safety of their own children. If a tribute died in the games, that family would continue to be paid as compensation."

"That still doesn't explain why they volunteered, or why the careers were so brutal," I pointed out, not willing yet to let go of the hatred for the careers I'd got from Mom and Dad.

"Most were told to volunteer. They were told they were going to be reaped anyway, and if they volunteered, they'd receive help in the games. If they didn't volunteer, they'd be reaped and not get a single gift from a sponsor. As for the brutality, the amount of help they'd receive would depend on how cruel they were in the games. They'd also get more money if they were Victors and their families would get more money if they didn't survive. If they had others they were close to, younger siblings or even just close friends, they could earn a guarantee for them to be immune from the reaping if they put on a good enough show. If they didn't put on a good show, there was always someone close to them who could be made to suffer and they knew it. Of course, they were brought up to think that the brutality was something to be admired."

Dad looked more shocked than I felt. "All these years I've hated them and they were just as much prisoners of the Capitol as we were."

"Worse in some ways," said the judge. "You had a one in however-many-thousand chances of being reaped. They grew up knowing that they would be reaped or be forced to volunteer one day."

"What's happened to them now?" Mom asked.

"Their parents are all under arrest, but most have relatives or friends who will take them in."

"Most?" Dad asked.

"Cranto is a problem. He has nobody. His girlfriend's parents don't want him near their daughter now all this is coming out. He's one of the reasons I come here. He was close to your Gail even though he is a lot older than her."

"No," said Dad. "No way."

"Dad!" Gail cried out.

"No way. He tried to kill your mother. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Gail looked like she wanted to say something, but it was Mom who answered. "He was trying to keep his little sisters safe," she said. "That's something I can understand."

It was instantly understood that we'd be taking him. Dad didn't argue.

Satisfied, the judge turned to Gail. "Well, young lady. Thanks to you, the directors of the company will be in prison for a very long time, along with a lot of corrupt officials from the Capitol and the Districts. There are amendments to the constitution in progress to prevent anything even remotely like the games ever happening again. All because you were clever enough to get message out and brave enough to volunteer."

Gail looked happy, but simply replied, "My mother is the Mockingjay and my Dad's Peeta Melark. What else could I have done?"

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games - Volunteer Games

Author's notes...

** Please review.**

**Brian**

**THE STORY SO FAR**

**Chapter 1**

** The volunteer games begin, but aren't popular with viewers. Changes are made, then Stefani, Dorada's sister, unexpectedly volunteers.**

**Chapter 2 **

** Katniss sent to prison and stripped of the Presidency for trying to take action against the games. Stefani is killed. Gail spends her time trying to find proof that something isn't right about the games. Then she disappears, another volunteer for the games.**

**Chapter 3 **

** Stefani's mother provides the clue they need, but it is the judge who deciphers the message Gail puts in her paintings.**

**Chapter 4 **

** The arena is raided and secrets come out which rock Panem to the core.**


End file.
